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tv   BBC World News America  PBS  December 27, 2012 4:00pm-4:30pm PST

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the scientists quest that has been hidden for half a million years. what caused an aquarium to burst in shanghai. our top story, the leader of the democratic majority in the u.s. senate says politicians are running out of time to avoid the budget crisis known as the fiscal cliff. every reed said democrats and republicans had to stop squabbling to have any chance at which an agreement by december 31st and higher taxes and spending cuts will automatically take effect. president obama has cut short his holiday to revive the talks. >> if we go over this cliff, the house of representative with
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four days left are not here with the speaker having told him that he will have 458 hours' notice. i cannot imagine their conscience out there wherever they are around the country and we are trying to get something done. >> why is the american economy teetering on the edge of the cliffs? these are some of the things that president obama is trying to prevent with the return to the lighthouse. an employment has fallen to a four year low and currently stands at 7.7%. no deal could mean 2.1 million jobs disappearing parent to it would equate to a contraction of 1.5% in the value of all goods and services america producers meaning less money to afraid with the rest of the world. as far as the republicans
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concerned, there is that we will not give you a blank check. >> mitch mcconnell, the republican leader in the senate, said that he thought there was still time to avert what he called a budgetary fiscal crisis on tuesday the 31st. all of these attacks increases and spending cuts kick in. he is not very optimistic that the deal can be done. everybody is blaming each other. people in the senate have convened today, the house of rep is evidence, particularly the house of representatives. and as a lot of talking lot of brinkmanship, a lot of blame being traded and quite a lot of talking. no sign of a breakthrough. >> mr. obama has been talking to
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various congress people, looking at the pictures coming to us from the floor of the house, it does not look particularly busy. it does not look like there is a sense of urgency percolating through the system at the moment. >> president obama got back from his holiday early. the senate has convened now. they're looking to express their concern about the situation. members of the house of our as additives, which are really a key component. this is a refusal of of the republicans of the house of representatives. this is one of the key sticking point here. members of the house of representatives is not expected back here until the evening of sunday.
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then they can get to the president's desk and get it to cited by the end of the year. this is a tight timetable. the real sticking point seems to be the republican opinion in the house of representatives and they are not even in washington yet. >> is that january 1st deadline set in stone? are they locked into it? must it happen? presumably you have a couple of days for people in different bits of government are signing the relevant paper work to do what they have to do with the rate of tax people pay. >> there is an immediate payroll tax hike for americans as soon as the new year begins. people see a deflation in their budgets unless the process can be reversed and the spending plans are agreed upon. this is a militarily misleading
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term. this is a slope or a slide. these are tax increases and spending cuts that were involved and will be felt over a couple of months and so will their economic impact. if this happens and the fiscal cliff is not averted, america will go into recession immediately, that is not the case. there is the government demand over coming months which has the potential to have a recession of 2013. if taxes go up, they may cut back on their spending. this is likely to have a damaging effect. >> you will keep us posted. it has been a bleak midwinter across the u.s.. this has brought snow, blizzards, and even tornadoes.
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there's more bad news on the way. over the next few days, another stormy area of low pressure will sweep up from the gulf of mexico. it will bring more rain and snow, this time washington and new york could be hit as well. >> a wicket when to remix is wreaking havoc on the nation's midsection. -- a wicked winter remix is wreaking havoc on the nation's midsection. this has ruined plans for tens of thousands. the national weather service says the heaviest the commissions will be in northern pennsylvania. and parts of the northeast, they are taking the snow in stride. >> i love it. this is part of living in new england. >> standard new england weather. >> this is mostly bringing heavy rain and strong winds of up to
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70 miles per hour. this is causing more problems for travelers. at least 355 have been cancelled today. in the last 24 hours, it has been more than 2400. power was knocked out from texas to vermont. people in ohio are trying to clean up the mess. from texas to alabama, at least 34 tornadoes touched down. today, people are picking up the debris. the death toll from the winter storm has risen. so far, at least nine people have been killed. >> there are police everywhere. >> police are cautioning drivers to be careful on the roads and to be on the lookout for black ice. right now, 61% of the country is covered in some sort of snowfall. the net storm is expected to bring more snow to the midwest tonight.
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>> well, -- is a general manager of every a station in arkansas and he told us how people are being affected. >> it is not the snow itself, it is the amount of snow that makes it unusual. in our town, we have not had a big snow in 29 years. it was our second largest snowfall the for the month of december ever and if you go about 80 miles to our north and northeast, they had anywhere up to 14 inches of snow and it was a rather a heavy wet snow. in some areas come on top of the snow, before the transition to rein to snow occurred, there was areas of freezing rain. that was around first and on tree limbs and on the electric lines. you add this note to it, that is
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what has caused the power outages and a bunch of problems. >> let's look at some other stories for you this hour. george bush senior is in intensive care today. he was first taken into the hospital last month with a severe cough. he is said to have developed a fever. his family is with him. he was on a liquid diet but the doctors were being cautiously optimistic. hosni mubarak has been transferred from a prison clinic to an army hospital due to a deterioration in the south. he was briefly taken to the hospital last week following a fall in his bathroom. he was sentenced to life in prison for his role for killing protesters back in 2011. the indian government will post the photos, names, addresses of convicted rapists on the website in an effort to calm at rate over the gang rape of a student.
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she's in a hospital in singapore and is said to be fighting for her life in pakistan, the latest member of the troubled bhutto dynasty has pledged to continue the fight against income is in. bilawal bhutto zardari was speaking in the ancestral hometown. >> a huge crowd filled with the name, amid tight security. some 200,000 people gathered to witness what is perhaps the newest chapter of the political dynasty. the third generation seemed acutely aware of the world that could be played for the future. >> my hon. mother was killed publicly. thousands of workers have been
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murdered but we did not abandoned pakistan and would not abandon pakistan. pakistan in the hands of tyrants. this is our pakistan. >> the family has been at the center of politics in pakistan. his mother was prime minister. since 2008, her husband has been president. he was by his son's side for this speech in which he continued -- in which bilawal bhutto zardari pledged to continue the fight. there was also a discussion about the violence plaguing the country. this is something he knows all too much about. he was just 19 of his mother was killed campaigning.
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no one has ever been convicted in the killing. bilawal will be the figurehead for the governing party. he cannot stand for a parliamentary seat himself. critics argue that this is not a role he should occupy. his party would focus on home. if he can convince them they can deliver. >> you are watching "bbc world news," looking back on the summer when the games came to town, some unforgettable images of the olympics. let's take a look at what you are looking at on our website. the review of some many well-
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known figures who died in the last 12 months. from the first man on the moon to the man whose followers were known as the moonies. also, how random acts of and -- how random acts of kindness can help businesses grow according to a british tea company. a taxi driver and a tattoo artist were happy to exchange of services for tea. one pub landlord has been flooded 12 times in 12 weeks. he will be leaving the pub at the start of the new year. he does not think he can continue financially through the winter. these of the top stories.
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president obama agrees to meet again before the budget deadline. tall people reportedly dead after snowstorms and blizzards hit the northeast of thing midwest. -- 12 people are reported dead after snow storms and blizzards and northeast and midwest. nine people have died because of the winter there. temperatures as low as minus 23 degrees and heavy snowfalls leaving the capital of the ukraine under a thick layer. hundreds are being treated in hospital. many are homeless. in many countries in the world, people can only dream of a white christmas. for ukrainians, the dream is turning into a nightmare. freezing temperatures dropping as low as minus 20 degrees celsius have been followed by
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snow. reports of multiple deaths from severe cold have come from many regions in the country. official figures state that up to 90 people have died from freezing temperatures. more than 500 have been treated in hospital. if the majority of them for homeless. >> the day before yesterday, they threw me out near the steps on the platform. i got bruises all over. people are scared of me. >> last winter, the u.n. said that ukraine was the worst hit by severe cold in europe. more than 100 people died then. now volunteers are urging everyone to do everything possible to save lives. the government is opening temporary shelters for homeless people around the country where they can warm themselves and have a hot drink. many have complained that very often these shelters on and on
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the outskirts of major cities of sometimes too hard to find. >> you need to take a bus to get there but i don't have any money to pay for my fair. i don't think i would be better off there. >> many homeless ukrainians will have to spend the new year holiday in these temporary shelters. according to weather forecasts, if a bit warmer in the ukraine in january. >> an ambitious mission to drill through 3 kilometers of antarctic ice has been cut short. they aimed to explore a lake that had been hidden for half a million years. the project to find hints of simple life existing in these extreme conditions. however, they failed and the team was forced to abandon the project. >> this is science at his toughest into this video from the british and arctic survey
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shows that backbreaking effort by 12 scientists and engineers trying to drill through the ice. with bare hands on steel, the mission depended on hot water being blasted down into the ice to open the routes to an ancient lake. from a tiny camp on the ice, it was to explore at the limits of our eyes was possible. the goal was to drill down of two miles to reach the waters below. the drilling went wrong. it did not get deeper. but hot water leaked into the ice around. it was a major blow to a daring project. huge quantities of snow were malted, heated up, sterilized. this team just not work.
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>> the pace was slower than we had planned for. we did not have enough fuel to get to the service of the lake. we are extremely disappointed by that outcome. >> the drilling was not the only problem, just before christmas, a vital spare part had to be flown out all the way from britain. in the end, three years of planning and 8 million pounds have drawn a blank. they might try again. for now, the lake and any possible life down there remains beyond reach. >> the u.s. open champion andy murray is out of the world tennis championships in abu dhabi. he was beaten by the world number 9. he lost the first set 6-3. he staged a mini fight back in the second set. this is one of the best rallies
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of the match. tipsaravic held his own. in thursday's other quarterfinals, david ferrer b. thomas -- beat tomas brydych. he will play novak djokovic next. the past year will be remembered with some great sporting events and the high point for london, of course hosting the world. the game's success was traded by the many talented athletes taking part and also by the crowds and the volunteers. >> the living apart provided the setting for the biggest sporting
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event of the year. the games were marshalled by 18,000 british troops after a private security contractor announced just two weeks before the start that they could not start it properly. the oscar-winning director produced an opening ceremony that captivated the world and even the queen got involved, sort of. the pressure was to deliver and only 10 days after securing britain's first-ever tour de france when, bradley wiggems won the time trial and the heart of the nation. >> i think i will ever talked my sporting career. i still cannot believe this. it is there. >> an early british success snowballed on super saturday when the poster girl completed
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her domination. >> it was so hot, everyone had the home advantage and it would give a much-needed boost. when i stepped into the stage, it was such an incredible feeling. this is mild. it was a great feeling. >> minutes later, another home hero became the first britain to win a long distance of the gold in the 10,000 meters. he went on to win the 5000 as well. >> i was telling myself, i have to get there, i dig in, and dig in. it gave me a bit more boost. >> chris shed tears of joy after
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he became the most decorated britain. -- became the most successful olympics sailor of all time. andy murray exercised his wimbledon demons back on center court beating roger federer to win gold in the men's singles and singles and a mixed doubles alongside his partner. adams gave the performance of her life to win the first ever women's boxing olympic final. he was one of 29 gold medals for great britain with 65 medals in all. this was his most successful -- this was great britain's most successful game. >> the u.s. soul singer known for "rescue me" has died. >> ♪ rescue me, take me in your arms rescue me ♪
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>> fontella bass comes from a musical family and started performing at age six at a church choir. she died from complications from a heart attack at the age of 72. pictures have emerged of shoppers at a mall being over wave -- overwhelmed by a wave of water. three sharks and dozens of fish were sent flying. >> these onlookers were washed away when the aquarium they were looking at suddenly exploded. 16 people were injured, dozens of turtles and fish died. this happened at a shopping mall last week. >> i was just walking by and i heard the explosion of this water tank. >> this collapse.
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people pulled out. >> the bureau of supervision and administration is investigating why the aquarium broke. aging material is a likely cause. >> according to the initial investigation -- >> makes sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital to achieve your
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strategic intentions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.
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- get ready to blast off, neighbour. today we're going to play outer space at our friend miss elaina's house. and then we're going to play at prince wednesday's royal castle. i'm so happy you're my friend. ugga-mugga. be right back. is made possible in part by... the richard king mellon foundation. dedicated for over sixty years to south western pennsylvania's quality of life, and competitive future. and by these pittsburg foundations. working together to enhance and enrich the lives of children for more than seventy-five years. and by the arthur vining davis foundations. dedicated to strengthening america's future through education. adcasting, dedicated to strengthening america's future and contributions to your pbs station,
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from viewers like you. in the neighbourhood ♪ and contributions to your pbs station, ♪ a beautiful day for a neighbour ♪ ♪ would you be mine? ♪ could you be mine? ♪ won't you be my neighbour? - ♪ it's daniel tiger's neighborhood ♪ ♪ a land of make-believe ♪ won't you ride along with me? ♪ - ♪ ride along - ♪ it's daniel tiger's neighborhood ♪ ♪ so much to do, so much to see ♪ ♪ won't you ride along with me? ♪ - ♪ ride along - ♪ i've got lots of friends for you to meet ♪ ♪ in this land of make-believe ♪ a friendly face on every street ♪ just waiting to greet you ♪ it's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood ♪ ♪ a beautiful day for a neighbour ♪ ♪ in daniel tiger's neighborhood. ♪ - hi, neighbour. we're playing at miss elaina's house today. she lives in the museum-go-round, and she is a very fun friend.
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verrry fun. - (robot voice): daniel tiger, i'm so glad you came to play. (all laughing) - hi, lady elaine. hi, miss elaina. my neighbour came to play too. - miss elaina has been waiting for you all day. - greetings, daniel tiger. i'm so, so, so, so, so, so glad you're here! - wow, what's that on your head? - it's my helmet. i'm an astronaut! - astronaut! whoa! - and i'm going to zoom to outer space! - wow! i would love to zoom to outer space! can i be an astronaut too? - you betcha. i even made you an astronaut helmet like mine. ready? - whoa! here comes one, here comes the other. thanks, miss elaina. now i'm astronaut daniel. - astronaut power! - astronaut power!

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